L'Jarius Sneed 2021 film review: Some good, some bad, and some questions remain
L'Jarius Sneed 2021 film review: Some good, some bad, and some questions remain
Examining 6 full games of the 2nd-year cornerback's film to look at where he won, where he still needs improvement, and what his role should look like in 2022.
It was always going to be tough for L’Jarius Sneed to follow up on his rookie season.
In 2020, Sneed seemed to come from almost nowhere, He was a relatively unheralded 4th round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech with tools (good size and speed) but not much else in terms of “known” strengths. He’d been switched from cornerback to safety his final year of college, and his transition back to corner with the Chiefs was assumed to be one that would take time.
That assumption proved to be false, as Sneed seized a starting role out of the gate (in part due to Bashaud Breeland’s suspension to start the year) and, following an injury in Week 3, came back strong down the stretch for one of the more impressive rookie seasons of any recent defensive Chief.
Expectations were high for Sneed entering his second season, and that’s fair for a player who shined immediately. However, cornerback is a notoriously difficult position to perform at a high level consistently. Even the very best in the league can struggle to maintain a high level from year to year or even week to week. There was always a risk that Sneed’s second season (with increased responsibilities) wouldn’t necessarily top his first.
Sneed’s second season has been viewed by some as a bit of a disappointment, largely because he appeared to have star potential as a rookie and didn’t blossom into a star in year two. Of course, given what we know about NFL development and the cornerback position, that’s not really a fair way to assess a player. So how DID Sneed perform in his sophomore season?
The answer, as ever, lies in the film. What matters isn’t a set of highlights or lowlights, but what a player (especially a cornerback) does on a snap-by-snap basis over time. And so I charted every snap of 6 games throughout the 2022 season to see how Sneed performed in the big picture sense, whether he developed or regressed from his rookie season and throughout the year, and where he can best help the Chiefs moving forward.
Let’s talk some Sneed film.